Does It Get Any Better?
by xMYxDAYDREAMx
Summary: Christmas fluff...started in April :P Emily finally gave me a kick up the backside so I finished it :D Ta darlin' xxxpip
1. Chapter 1

**Does It Get Any Better?**

**Chapter One**

Honey waltzed through the corridors on her way to the locker room. She smiled happily as she passed Reg who was desperately trying to untangle himself from a pile of tinsel. Trust Gina to lump him with the job of decorating. Honey pictured the canteen Reg-style, it wasn't that pretty a sight. Still she thought to herself, he was guaranteed to go with the classic mistletoe and who could deny that mistletoe was a good thing. Seeing as she had failed in hinting to Dan that she liked him, she might just have to grab the bull by the horns and show him how she felt!

The images of her kissing Dan satisfied her all the way to the female locker rooms where she stumbled in to find Emma, Leela, Diane and for some reason Sam all talking excitedly about the forthcoming party. She soon found out that Sam had come to ask Diane to see her about a case the next morning but she had gotten caught up in their discussion about who was wearing what.

"What ya wearing Sam?" Emma asked sliding the clasp over her belt and turning to check herself out in the mirror.

Sam laughed, "That's easy. What else do people my age wear to things like this? A little black dress of course." She said laughing at Emma's puzzled look.

Emma cracked a grin and turned back to her locker, unbuttoning her shirt as she did so.

"Er yeah nobody ask what I'm wearing." Diane said blushing as the gaze turned to her. "Well okay…my sister came round last week and dragged me out shopping so she finally persuaded me for the first time in years to buy a dress. Yeah don't laugh, but I used to be a real girly girl when I was little. It was Jenny who was the tomboy!"

Everybody looked around quite amazed at the sound of Di in a dress but they kept their surprise in silence which undoubtedly pleased Diane. The talk moved round everyone in the room until it hit Emma who refused to tell them what she was wearing fobbing them off with something about a new skirt. She stood choosing bits of hair to be clipped back off her face while the others stared hard at her back.

"Emmaaaaaa…you never usually take this long to get changed. What's up with you? You've been smiling like that all day." Said Honey twirling Emma round to see the little smile still playing on the corners of her lips.

"Must be love." Sam said jokingly making her exit from the locker rooms and bumping into Phil as she did so.

"Ooooh lets get the gossip, who's in love Sam?" He said putting an arm around her shoulder. She desperately tried to resist the temptation of letting her thoughts stray to where his hand was resting and concentrated on stuttering out that it was Emma who was in love. "Oh yeah." He said disbelievingly while sliding has hand from her shoulder down onto her waist. He loved the effect he was having on her; the look on her face was priceless.

Meanwhile across the hall the boys were also discussing dresses but unlike the girls they were trying to guess what the girls would be wearing.

"Reckon Di's gonna be in a dress?" Smithy said laughing slightly as he got a round of amused looks from the other blokes. "Na…Dan's more interested in what Honey's gonna be wearing, ain't ya mate." He said slapping Dan on the back.

"Hmmm…yeah bet Honey's gonna be in something stylish yet slutty don't you." Will said winding Dan up who blushed furiously at this suggestion.

"You just can't stop picturing Emma's legs can ya Will?" Dan said giving Will his shot at turning pink. "Gotcha." He said seeing him turn to face his locker to avoid the stares from the other guys.

"Awww…now that is cute." Honey said sticking her head around the door. "Is Will blushing?" She giggled as about half of the guys in the room attempted to cover themselves up. "We'll wait outside then shall we." She said gesturing to the other girls who were all leaning against the wall laughing heavily, all except Emma who was giggling nervously while blushing.

Emma sat at the bar waiting for the round of drinks to be ready to take back over to the tables. She rested her head in one hand and started to twirl her hair and her finger on the other one. She sighed slightly as she saw that the barmaid was only half finished her order and she looked longingly back at the table. Her friends were all sitting around talking and laughing. Emma could safely bet that in the five minutes she was away she'd have missed the best jokes and gossip of the night. Will looked over at Emma who was sitting staring absent-mindedly across the pub and he got up to go and join her. She turned back to face the bar without seeing him coming towards her so it was a bit of a shock when she felt his hands sliding round her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. She giggled nervously which shot shivers down Will's spine. He could see the other members of the relief turning to look at him and Emma so he removed his hands from her waist and he grabbed the now ready tray of drinks which Emma was struggling with.

She flashed him a heart-melting smile at him and he followed her back to the table where her friends erupted in cheers at the prospect of getting even more drunk than they already were. Neither Will nor Emma lived far away from the pub so when closing time came and the others trickled outside to catch cabs they began walking home.

As they were walking along a dark lane Emma heard a rustle behind them and she sped up and grabbed Will's hand who squeezed hers back reassuringly. "You scared of the dark?" He asked her and she buried her head into his side in reply. "That why you never do night shift?" He again asked her but this time he didn't need an answer.

They reached Emma's house and Will came in to check she was okay before leaving her to lock up behind him. As they stood on the doorstep Will leaned in and Emma drew breath quickly but Will bottled out and kissed her on the cheek instead.

Emma let go of his hand slowly while trailing her fingers across his palm. She saw him blush and she smiled slightly before turning and walking back inside. After sliding the chain across the door she raised her hand to her face and touched the spot where Will had kissed her. This was going to be one hell of a Christmas party.


	2. Chapter 2

Emma grumbled softly to herself as she turned over and whacked the alarm clock to stop it's constant bleeping. Rubbing her eyes, she reluctantly eased herself out of bed and sat trying to find her slippers in the mess of clothes that lay on the floor. Her eyelids still felt heavy as she'd had trouble getting to sleep after seeing the effect that she still had on Will.

Smiling to herself, she stretched her legs and looked across to the wardrobe. Her grin widened as she saw the gorgeous blue-green dress hanging from one of the doors. After much searching with her friend Cara, they'd finally stumbled across this wonder and she couldn't wait to unveil it.

She shuffled out of the bedroom and along the hall to her kitchen where she blindly began making tea and toast as usual. Emma picked her phone and keys up off the table and left the house, locking up behind her and making her way towards Sun Hill Station. The walk was short and she enjoyed the feeling of the wind on her face, and her hair billowing out behind her.

She slipped out of her jeans and into her uniform which now felt much like second skin she wore it so much! She stood in front of the mirror for far too long, fluffing her hair up to make it sit pretty while Honey huffed and puffed behind her to make her move faster. Eventually she was dragged from the changing rooms and plonked into her chair in the briefing room. "Oi…settle down you lot. I know it's the Christmas Party tonight but it's no reason to act like children." Gina said as she entered the room but she took one look at the excitable officers and gave up trying to calm them.

After everyone had been paired up she let them go because it wasn't like she was going to get any peace if they were all still together in a big bunch. "So what's made you so happy?" Honey asked as she and Emma walked out to the area car.

"Nothing special." Emma replied, remembering the effect she'd had on Will the night before.

"You sure about that?" Honey asked slyly, sure that there was more to it than Emma was letting on.

"Positive." She said but blushed as Will walked past her which didn't go unnoticed by Honey.

"Oh my god something happened between you and Will didn't it? Did you sleep with him?" Honey asked, firing questions at her repeatedly.

"No, no and for the last time no." Emma giggled as she got into the passenger side of the car. "I don't know where you get your ideas from." She added as Honey looked disbelievingly at her. "Okay, okay so I do know where you get them from but no I didn't sleep with him."

"So you didn't sleep with him…but did something else happen?" Honey asked inquisitively, treading carefully so Emma wouldn't clam up on her like she normally did unless she had A LOT of alcohol already in her system. Emma wriggled down in her seat and started picking at the fraying edge of her seat belt. "You're so obvious Emma, come on what happened doll?" Honey persisted and Emma sighed reluctantly before turning to her.

"Okay so when he walked me home last night it was really nice and he came in to check I was fine. Then when I went to the door to say bye he kissed me on the cheek…he was gonna do it properly I think but he bottled it." Emma admitted, turning away so Honey couldn't see her blush.

When she turned back Honey had rearranged her face so it didn't look quite as jealous as it had done before. "He's sweet…you should go for it girl." She gushed, although it hurt to be practically giving Will away to her best friend, she knew that after the year Emma had had, she deserved to be with someone as nice and loving as Will. 'Oh well, there's plenty more fish in the sea.' Honey thought to herself as she took the next turning at the traffic lights.

"Hon…what was Will like when you went out with him? I mean I never really went out with him, we kissed and we slept together but we didn't exactly date each other or anything." Emma asked, as they were heading back to the Station after a very long day.

Honey smiled as she saw Emma's dreamy expression. "He was lovely…really caring but I knew that he didn't want me…that you were the only girl for him." She said, biting her lip so all of the memories wouldn't come flooding back. Emma placed her hand on Honey's arm and squeezed it gently.

"Oh babes, don't think like that. I'm sorry." She whispered, guilt flooding through her as she thought of all the times she'd been so jealous of Honey and Will's relationship, never realising that both were unhappy in it, longing for something else. In Honey's case she just wanted Will's undivided love and in his case, we wanted the one girl he couldn't have, the one who was married to Matt Hinckley.

"Don't be silly Em, you can't help you fall for. I don't blame you, honest." Honey protested reaching over and hugging Emma after she'd parked the car into the space in the yard. "Now, come on have we got a party to get ready for or what?"

Emma practically bounced along the corridor, her bag swinging on her arm as she and Honey talked about their plans for Christmas that year. Honey spotted Will coming the other way and ducked out of the way, calling out to Emma that she had to speak to Smithy about something urgent before she disappeared into the empty Sergeant's Office and stood peeking out behind the blinds as he approached Emma, a smile lighting up his face as he saw her.

"So you got home all right then?" Emma asked, laughing slightly as he blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah…yeah I did. So…so are you going to the party tonight?" He stammered, blushing redder by the second.

"You'll just have to wait and see won't you?" Emma replied raising her eyebrows at him and leaving with a flick of her hair, her insides squirming as she recalled the feeling she'd got the night before when he'd leant close to his her, and the disappointment when he'd bottled out of it and pressed the kiss to her cheek instead. Tonight…she would most definitely be there, and she would most definitely get her Christmas Wish.


	3. Chapter 3

Will fell backwards onto his bed, smiling as he imagined Emma getting all dolled up to go out. Groaning as he realised that he still had to get changed and was running very late, he rolled to the side and grabbed his clothes that he'd looked out that morning. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror ten minutes later, he tugged at his new, crisp shirt and checked his hair for the umpteenth time. Running a finger along his teeth he grimaced and reached for his toothbrush again, he shouldn't have eaten that bread at lunchtime; he still had poppy seeds stuck between his teeth!

Finally happy with his appearance, Will strode over to the door and locked up behind him. Feeling the palms of his hands begin to prickle as he wondered where the night would take him. Meanwhile across the city, Emma too was pondering the same thought as she stood in her underwear, in front of her floor length mirror removing the curlers from her freshly washed hair.

Dancing about to the radio that was on full blast Emma picked up her hairbrush and mimed in front of the mirror, laughing as she caught sight of herself, throwing the brush across the room and shimmying back over to her dressing table where her make up was all laid out. "Eyeliner, eye shadow, lip gloss." She checked off on her fingers as she fluffed up her hair so it bounced around her slender shoulders.

Finally, turning back across to her wardrobe she smiled as she saw her dress hanging there, just as she'd left it. Taking it down off the hanger she shivered as the silky fabric brushed her skin as she slid it down over her head, letting it cling to her curves and billow out around her knees. Twirling round in it, it followed her, the skirt encircling her legs and shimmering in the light. Preening in the mirror she stepped into a pair of silver baby doll pumps and gave her hair one last flick before she left her bedroom, picking up her phone and bag on the way down the stairs.

Will leant forwards in his seat, grabbing his drink off the table before he continued chatting away to Dan. "So…what do you think of Honey's dress?" Dan asked casually as he clapped eyes on the bubbly blonde who was dancing animatedly with Beth, laughing as one of her favourite songs came over the sound speakers.

"Yeah the guys were right…stylish…yet slutty." Will said getting an elbow in the ribs from Dan. "But yeah, she looks hot anyway." He added as he watched her spin round and round, still laughing her head off, her raspberry pink halter neck dress attracting a lot of male attention.

"Speaking of hot." Dan muttered, nudging him so he, along with just about everyone else in the room turned to face the doors in between which Emma was standing, transformed from her normal day to day self into what could only be described as stunningly beautiful. Tucking her hair behind her ear shyly as she avoided everyone's eyes, she wound her way through the crowd of dancing officers and sank down into a seat, a few away from where Will and Dan were sitting with their mouths still hanging open in shock.

"Biatch!" Honey squealed as she launched herself in Emma's direction. "You said you weren't wearing anything special!"

"He he…yeah I lied Hon." Emma giggled at her ditzy friend. "Wow I love your dress it's gorgeous." She added seeing Honey's own dress for the first time, and it was true, she did look fabulous in it. "Dan'll be droolin' all over ya." She whispered discreetly in Honey's ear making her blush and giggle.

"Come on, dance with me." Honey demanded, pulling Emma up by the arm and marching her back to where Beth and Sally were standing gossiping by the drinks table. Just as they'd hugged each other, they all fell apart laughing as Groove Armada I See You Baby blasted around them, everybody turning to see the four girls all standing holding onto each other so they didn't fall over they were laughing so hard.

"Good old Friday nights." Beth smirked as Honey dragged them all into the centre of the make-shift dance floor and they began showing off the moves that Sally had taught them on night in front of the TV with the music channels up full blast, and a lot of vodka flowing through their systems.

**I see you, baby, shakin' that ass  
Shakin' that ass  
Shakin' that ass**

The other officers all laughed along with the girls, shaking their heads and smiling as the four friends shimmied, sashayed and shaked around each other until the song finished and they collapsed in a heap by the table again. "Told you…it would…come in…handy." Sally giggled in between deep breaths as she flopped over the side of the sinky armchair that had been dragged along from the soft interview room.

"I left my Ipod in my locker…I'll be back in a minute mate." Will muttered to Dan as he stood up, being in such close proximity with Emma was making him feel dizzy. Her arm slipped from his as he stood up, alerting her to his disappearance. Looking back quickly so people wouldn't think she was obsessed with him, Emma locked eyes with Honey who was discreetly tilting her head towards the door, indication that Emma should follow him, wherever he'd gone to.

"I…I'm going to the loo." Emma announced as she too got up from her chair and quickly left the canteen which after Reg's decorating was practically unrecognisable. Running along the corridor and feeling very thankful that she'd chosen not to wear heels, Emma turned the corner just in time to see Will vanish from sight into the male locker room. Pausing outside Emma chewed her lip nervously before deciding to be bold and pushing the door forcefully open, starling Will who was standing facing his locker, a photo clutched in his hands.

"So…this is where you escaped to then." Emma said softly as she took a few steps into the room.

"I…uh…I wasn't…I mean…I uh yeah…I guess so." Will stammered, trying to hide the picture back in his locked but Emma had already reached his side and her fingers had closed tightly round his wrist, pulling it back up towards her so she could reach out and take the picture from him.

Emma smiled as she saw herself, Lewis, Will, Honey and Dan all standing with their arms wrapped around each other at the Christmas Party from two years before, in the background was a huge sparkly banner and each of them looked as though they were so happy they could have burst right there and then. Emma's eyes continued to scan the picture, Lewis's eyes twinkled as he grinned cheekily at the person taking the photo, Honey and Dan's hands were entwined and Will's arm was wrapped securely round Emma's waist. "Good times." She murmured and he smiled down at the top of her head, taking the picture from her hands and stashing it back into her locker.

"So…I s'pose we have to get back to this party." Will said as he began to move around Emma towards the door but she caught his sleeve.

"Look." She whispered, pointing up at the ceiling to where a single sprig of mistletoe was hanging. Still looking up, she felt Will's lips touch her own and a warm tingling feeling spread through her whole body. Opening her mouth slightly Emma felt his tongue slide between her teeth and swirl round her mouth, causing her to go weak and the knees and have to lean against the front of his locker for support. His hand brushed the side of her face gently as he tucked a stray curl behind her ear and her own hand closed around his, bringing it down to her waist.

When they finally parted Will looked up at the mistletoe again. "Good ol' Reg." He muttered provoking a giggle from Emma as they left the locker room together, hand in hand, matching smiles on their faces. Approaching the canteen Emma hung back shyly and Will's smile dropped slightly. "I understand." He said finally, as he dropped her hand and walked back into the canteen, alone.

Emma's head flopped to the side, her cheek resting against the cool wall. Why did she always mess things up? The old insecurities were returning, resurfacing, wrecking everything that had just been fixed. Shaking her head, Emma tried to banish those negative thoughts. It was Christmas, time to be happy and positive and look ahead, not behind. Her past was her past; Will was her future…only she had to get him back now.

Stepping back into the room, the lights momentarily blinded her and she spun on the spot, searching for Will's familiar face. Finally she spotted him over by the drinks table and she wound her way towards him, dodging out of Honey's line of view so she wouldn't be swept away. "Will. Will I'm sorry. I was being stupid and insecure…can you forgive me?" She asked softly so nobody else could hear them.

"I guess. It just gets to me that you care so much about what they all think. They shouldn't matter…its about us." He replied, taking her hand and leading her into the centre of the now crowded dance floor.

"It doesn't matter any more. I'm trying really hard now." Emma said, as she looked around her at all the smiley people. "Dance?" She asked, giggling as Cascada Truly Deeply Madly came on. Bopping about, Emma and Will laughed and danced together, joined by Honey and Beth and Dan at one point, all of whom had had a little too much to drink by then.

**I wanna stand with you on a mountain  
I wanna bathe with you in the sea  
I wanna lay like this forever  
Until the sky falls down on me**

A slow song began playing as the hours ticked by and the officers grew weary. Will paused, beginning to move over to the drinks table but Emma pulled him back, wrapping her arms around his neck to the amusement of some of the officers around them. "But…everybody else?" Will began but Emma silenced him by pressing her index finger to his lips.

"Everybody else doesn't matter…like you said, it's you and me." She whispered, smiling as his hands wound round her waist, the distance between their bodies growing ever smaller. A few heads were turned as they danced together, never taking their eyes off each other for more than a second as they swayed gently back and forth in time to the beat.

**It's just another day  
For you and me  
In paradise  
It's just another day  
For you and me  
In paradise**

As the night drew to a close, Natalie Imbruglia's song Glorious rebounded from the walls, bringing Emma from her dreamlike state, still dancing in Will's arms. Leaning up she kissed him softly, provoking gasps and giggles from around them as the team members saw for the first time, the two people that were so truly meant for each other is seemed impossible that they wouldn't get together.

"So is this the Christmas you imagined?" Will asked as they drew apart.

"No." Emma replied, looking up to see him frown. "Its better."

**And it's glorious just to laugh like us  
And the world we turn it'll never stop.  
Cos I've nothing to hide, we've got nothing lose, oh yeah.  
And it's glorious yeah it's all I see on a day like this you know  
its meant to be.  
Yeah I've got nothing to find I've got nothing to lose, but you  
And it's glorious**

* * *

**Kay that's another fic done :) Just want to say a million thanks to my buddy Emz for giving me a good kick up the backside when I need it and always being there for me. Love u hunni xxxx**


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